Shoe tongue



D. R. BRADY SHOE TONGUE Filed March 1 1959' INVENTOR. a ar/'0 7P. @IQQ g ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 4, 1941 SHOE TONGUE David R. Brady,

Detroit, Mich., assignor to David R. Brady and J. Windsor Davis, as joint trustees for Brady Research Company, Detroit, Mich, a joint venture company Application March 13, 1939, Serial No. 261,658

2 Claims. 31. 36-54) A This invention relates to shoes, particularly the tongues of shoes, and has for its primary object to provide a tongue which is capable of holding itself in proper position beneath the laced portions of a shoe.

In a conventional shoe the tongue usually comprises a strip of soft leather underlying the portions of the shoe which are laced together, its purpose being to protect and pad the instep of the foot from discomfort or injury by the laces,

and to improve the appearance of the shoe by closing the space between the portions of the shoe which are laced together. Due to movement of the foot and shoe, as occurs during walking, the ordinary tongue quite commonly is worked laterally from its normal position, leaving the instep uncovered and unprotected from the laces, and also causing discomfort to the wearer by becoming wedged between the sides of the foot and the shoe. Although displacement of the tongue is a source of inconvenience in the case of shoes worn for every day purposes, it is the cause of especial inconvenience in the case of athletic shoes, and also in the case of corrective shoes worn for the purpose of correcting improper foot posture or foot deformation. That is, shoes designed for athletic or corrective purposes must have perfect fit in order to support the foot in a position where the muscles and bones are properly correlated for a given purpose, and the I tongue, in add'tion to causing discomfort,' may be the direct cause properly positioned.

More specifically, the principal object is to provide a tongue which retains itself in proper position to avoid discomfort and to facilitate proper fitting of the shoe with respect to the foot.

Another object is to provide a pro-shaped tongue having a contour conforming to the contour of the instep of the foot and laterally projecting portions which coact with the protuberances at the astragalus or ankle bone of the foot to retain the tongue in proper position with respect to the instep of the foot. The tongue, ac-

of improper fitting when imcording to this objective, has a portion which is a width, and is increased in width at predetermined portions thereof. That is, the lateral projections are so disposed that they extend between the shoe and foot adjacent and beneath the ankle the shoe is laced the tongue is held in normal position by the depressions adjacent said bones.

The tongue of the ordinary shoe is sometimes pre-shaped somewhat after the contour of the instep, and in other cases, although made fiat,

of the ordinary bone protuberances, so that when assumes the shape of the instep after the shoe is worn for a short time. These tongues, however, are incapable of retaining any shape, and take the shape which is most favorable to conditions of wear of the shoe. An object of this invention is to provide a tongue which is preshaped, and which tends to retain its shape when the shoe is in use. As distinguished from the prior tongues mentioned, the tongue in tending to retain its shape functions in the fitting of the shoe and in retaining proper fit while the shoe is being worn. The tongue incorporates sufficient strength to provide the shape retaining tendency, and yet is sufficiently flexible to avoid discomfort and inconvenience such as would result ifit were formed rigid.

Other objects and advantages will become more fully apparent as referenceis had to the accompanying drawing wherein my invention is illustrated, and in which: v

Fig. 1 is a side view taken from theoutside of the shoe, partly broken away and in section,

Fig. 2 is a side view taken from the inside of the shoe, partly broken away and in section,

Fig. 3 is an outside elevation of the pro-formed tongue,

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and I Fig. 5 is a blank of a tongue, illustrating an alternative method of shaping the tongue.

More particularly, l designates a shoe adapted to be worn by the left foot and having the usual flap-like portions 2 and 3 with eyelets 4 for receiving laces (not shown). The shoe represented is of a corrective type designed to correct improper foot posture of childrens feet during ossification and thereby to prevent permanent deformation. The invention has particular utility in conjunction with this type of shoe, but it is to be understood that its use is contemplated in conjunction with shoes used in athletics as well as for every day purposes and normal feet. It is deemed unnecessary to illustrate use of the present tongue in conjunction with all types of shoes to which it is applicable and the chosen illustration is intended as illustrative of all types.

The tongue 5 is secured at 6 to the toe cap of the shoe I. As viewed in vertical section, from either side of the shoe, the tongue is irregularly curved, and conforms to the normal contour of the instep of a foot as viewed from similar positions. As viewed in transverse section, of which Fig. 4 is illustrative, the tongue 5 is curved to loosely conform to the instep of the foot when viewed from a similar position.

recession 8 which partially encircles the forward portion of the same protuberance. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the opposite or outside of the tongue has a projecting portion 9 adapted to extend toward and beneath the ankle bone proat the outside of the foot, and a recession I which permits the edge of the tongue to encircle the forward portion of the same protuberance. As may be seen in Fig. 3, the/projecting portions 7 and 9 and the recessions 8 ward and downwardly-rearward inclination of theankle bone.

The tongue is preferably formed of leather and is shaped by the application of steam and pressure. It is suificiently heavy to retain its shape, although it may readily flex inward as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, as will be required when the shoe is laced about a foot. Obviously, the shape of the tongue is such that a change in shape is resisted by the curvature thereof.

In Fig. 5 the blank 5a having a shape similar to the tongue 5 has an opening ll formed therein substantially as shown. The blank is then bent or creased into concavo-convex form transversely, and it is then stitched to draw the opposite sides of the opening together. This causes transversely of the foot tongue and a left foot shoe will have a left foot tongue. A reversal of the tongues will result in improper fitting.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe tongue formed of material having shape retaining qualities and having its point of greatest width intermediate the ends thereof, the

ankle movements are free from interference thereby.

2. A shoe tongue having an edge adapted to be tongue having side edges extending upwardly from the first named edge, said side edges diverging from each other and DAVID R. BRADY. 

